1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a device for administering cold therapy to ankles and a method of treating an injured ankle using the device.
2. Description of Related Art
Studies have shown that the most common sports-related injury is a lateral ankle sprain caused by a sudden, unexpected and relatively profound inversion of an athlete's foot. Athletes that participate in the sports of basketball, volleyball, soccer, and football are particularly susceptible to lateral ankle sprains due to the amount of jumping, cutting, and pivoting required, and due to the close body contact between athletes. Lateral ankle inversion injuries often occur as a result of the athlete's foot landing awkwardly after a step or jump and/or as a result of the athlete stepping on another athlete's foot. Many athletes will characterize an injury of this type as “rolling” their ankle.
The anatomy of the ankle places the lateral side of the ankle at a higher risk for sprain injury than the medial side. The distal end of the fibula (i.e., the lateral malleolus) extends further inferiorly than the distal end of the tibia (i.e., the medial malleolus). Thus, there is less bony stability on the lateral side of the ankle as compared to the medial side of the ankle. On the lateral side of the ankle, three ligaments provide stability, namely: the anterior talofibular ligament (“ATFL”); the calcaneofibular ligament (“CFL”); and the posterior talofibular ligament (“PTFL”). In a lateral ankle sprain, at least one, and more typically two or more, of these three ligaments are injured, with the severity of the injury ranging from a slight degree of tearing to rupture.
The generally accepted first aid treatment regimen for a lateral ankle sprain and other ankle injuries is often referred to by the acronym “RICE”, which stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Rest is prescribed because continued activity can cause further injury to the ankle, thereby delaying the healing process, increasing pain, and stimulating internal bleeding. Ice is prescribed because blood vessels contract when exposed to cold temperatures, which helps reduce swelling in the ankle and also helps to reduce the extent of internal bleeding from injured capillaries and blood vessels. Compression is prescribed because it tends to hasten healing time by reducing swelling around injury. And, elevation of the ankle above the heart is prescribed because it tends to reduce swelling and also tends to reduce pain.
Although ice is specifically identified by name in the RICE acronym, ice is not generally considered to be the best material for providing cold therapy to ankles. Ice can cause discomfort when placed between a compressive wrap and an injured ankle because it is a rigid non-conforming solid material. Furthermore, ice is difficult to position on an injured ankle, and tends to melt quickly, which results in a loss of the desired cold treatment and/or frequent disturbance of the injured ankle to apply more ice. In view of these and other disadvantages, ice alternatives are typically used to provide cold therapy treatment to injured ankles.
In recent years, temperature-retaining gel-filled thermal packs have been used instead of ice to provide cold therapy to injured ankles. The gels used in such packs tend to remain cold for a longer period of time than ice, and such gels also preferably remain viscous at low temperatures, which allow them to more comfortably conform to the contours of the injured ankle when placed between a compressive wrap and the injured ankle.
Conventional gel-filled thermal treatment packs generally consist of a substantially flat flexible envelope that has been filled with a temperature-retaining gel material. Pre-chilled “flat packs” of this type are typically pressed into contact with an injured ankle and over-wrapped with a suitable material such as an elongated elastic bandage to hold it in place and provide compression to the injured ankle. Some gel-filled thermal treatment packs are provided with straps or other means of securing the flat pack in contact with the injured ankle.
Flat packs such as described, while widely used to provide first aid treatment to injured ankles and other limbs, present certain problems and disadvantages. One problem with flat packs is that they do not provide targeted cold therapy specifically to the injured ligaments of the ankle. Such devices are intended for general use, and thus provide cold therapy to large areas. When applied to an injured ankle, flat packs administer cold treatment to non-injured portions of the ankle such as, for example, the lateral malleolus, which projects away from the ankle. The application of cold therapy to bony portions of the ankle such as the lateral malleolus can cause discomfort, which will cause the athlete to remove the cold therapy and thereby adversely affect healing of the injured ligaments.
It will be appreciated that in some instances, the ankle sprain will occur to the medial ligaments rather than, or in addition to, the lateral ligaments. In such circumstances, it has been necessary to apply two flat packs to the injured ankle, which make placement and retention of the flat packs very difficult. It is difficult and time consuming to accurately secure a flat pack to an injured ankle using an elastic wrap, and it is even more difficult when two flat packs must be secured.